Exhibiting device



June 6,- 1939. w. A. M cbM s EXHIBITING DEVICE driginal Filed Jan. -12,1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR William M (oms fihygm,

Wm ATTORNEY June 6, 1939. w. A, MccoMBs 2,160,886

EXHIBITING DEVICE Original Filed Jan. 12, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 EINVENTOR BY mumm15mm. MATTORNEY William fl. N! (0/1/63 June 6, 1939. w,McCOMBS EXHIBITING DEVICE Original Filed Jan. 12, 1935 v 3 Sheets-Sheet3 ""T1F""W INVENTOR Wi/lmm 17. N (o/Ms BY max mum,

m ATTORNEY ilf-Iill Patented June 6, 1939 EXHIBITING DEVICE William A.McComb's, New York, N. Y.

'Applicati 21 Claims.

This invention relates to exhibiting devices, particularly to thosewhich include a movable endless strip or web upon which appearadvertisements or other matter to be exhibited.

One object of our invention is to provide a v device of this characterwhich is adapted to utilize a relatively long endless strip in acomparatively smallspace. A further object is to provide a device ofthis character with a specially constructed hopper for containing orstoring loose or excess portions of the moving strip and a furtherobject is to provide an arrangement of parts such that the strip is fedinto the hopperby gravity.

A further object is to provide a novel arrangement of rolls for guidingand for moving the strip and also means for preventing entanglement ofthe loose portions of the strip by the guiding and actuating rolls. 7

A further object is to provide an improved exhibiting device having awindow or opening behind which the movable strip is passed; forexhibition, vertically upward or in a direction toward the top of thesign, printed or other matter appearing on the strip.

' A further and important object of our invention isto provide animproved means for accurately aligning the strip asit is fed out of thehopper ontosuitable guiding rolls, in its passage toward thedisplaywindow. In the specific embodiment of our invention herein disclosed,this object is attained by inclining the side walls of the hoppertowardthe point from which the stripis removed, so:that-the side wallsform a guiding means forithe strip to. insure accurate 7. positioning ofthe strip on theuguide' rolls.

Other objects of our invention include sim- ;plicity of construction,relatively small cost of .manufacture and durability and also to provideadevice of this character which is entirely automatic in operation .an-drequi-res. no attention for long periods of time.

Other objectsandadvantages of our invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in .connectionwith the accompanying drawingswhich show one embodiment of the invention and, wherein:

rtical sectional view looking Qinto' the exhibitor casing 'from'thefront, the section being taken on the line l-l of Figure 2 with :Figure3. isa Derspectivev casing;

iewgof the exhibitor on January 12, 1935, Serial No. 1,479 RenewedSeptember 8, 1938 Figure 4 is a detail sectional view; taken on thevline 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view takenon the line 5 5 of Figure 4 andshowing the means for pressing a friction roll into contact with thedriving roll for the strip;

Figure 6 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of the mechanismholding frame adapted for insertion into the display cabinet;

Figure '7 is a sideelevation of the structure shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a schematic View showing a modification of the holding meansfor the tapes which forms the hopper; and.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view similar to the bottom of Figure 2 butshowing a modification.

The mechanism of the exhibiting device is 'contained in a casing orcabinet I shown, for example, in Figures 2 and 3, which casing may bemade of wood or other suitable material andis formed with an opening IIatits front closed by a pane of glass l2. Reference character 14represents the strip or sheet having the advertising matter thereon andwhich is adapted to be moved upwardly immediately behind the win-. dowll.

Adapted to carry the strip M as well as the mechanism for moving andguiding the same is a frame l9 which is removably mounted in the cabinetand comprises a base I3, front and back inverted U-shaped frame membersI! and .15 respectively suitably secured by bolts 18 to the base I3.Members [1 and. i are connected by inclinedside walls, [6 and it will beseen that. the uprights of the U-shapedmember. I! are spaced fartherapart than are the uprights of member 15 and. the walls It are inclinedtoward each other rearwardly for a purpose which will be more fullyexplained hereafter. T

Means for moving the strip comprises an elec- H tric motor 20 mounted ontop 'of the frame member H. The shaft ofthe motor20- carries a pulley orsprocket wheel 22 overwhichpasses a belt or. chain 23 engaging .asmall'pulley. or sprocket wheel 24 mounted on one end of a stub. shaft25 journaled in a bearing '26 supported from the inner side'of oneof.the uprights of frame member IT. Secured to 'the opposite. end of theshaft-25 is a, roll for moving the strip Hi; this roll at its far endcarrying astub shaft o 25 journaledin a bearing 26' supported from theinner side of the opposite upright of the member H. The roller'30 has arubberfacing 3| which isinter-rupted at intervalaas shownin .Figures 4and 6 to form annular recesses 3 2 for a purpose hereafter to beexplained. Mounted adjacent and parallel to the roll 38 is a roll 34having rings or collars 35 of rubber or similar material. The roll 34 isan idler roll mounted at opposite ends on arms 31 pivoted at 38 on theopposite uprights of frame member I! and normally urged toward the roll30 and into contact with the strip I4 by means of springs 39 secured atone end to the upright and at the opposite end of the lower end of arm31.

Rotatably mounted in bracket bearings 40 immediately below the bracketsor bearings 26 and 26' is a roll 4| over which the strip M passes andbelow this roll 4! at the bottom of the upright portions of the memberI! is a roll 42 beneath which the strip passes in its travel to aposition immediately behind the window H. To the rear of roll 42 is aroll 44 beneath which the strip 14 passes on its way to' the upper roll4 I.

Mounted at the rear of the frame 19 near the top of the invertedU-shaped member i5 is a roll 5| over which the strip passes as it is fedout of the hopper and mounted near the lower end of the member l5 of theframe i2 is a roll 52 beneath which the strip passes in its passage fromrear roll 5| to the forward roll 64.

The space between the rear rolls 5| and 52 and the front rolls as willbe seen forms a container adapted to hold a relatively large quantity ofloose strip which is fed downward thereinto from the feeding roll 30.The passage of the strip from the hopper is as follows: Leaving thehopper it passes upward over the roll 5!, thence downward under the roll52, thence under roll M upward over the top of roll il, thence downwardunder the roll 42, thence upward past window H and over the roll 38 andbetween the roll 39 and the idler roll 34 downward into the hopper. Bytapering the hopper rearwardly to a narrower width equal approximatelyto the width of the strip [4, the hopper provides ample space into whichthe strip passing over roll 30 may fall freely into natural folds and atthe same time be guided by the sides of the hopper into proper positionon the roll 5!. It will thus be seen that the apparatus is adapted toutilize a strip of considerably greater length than the distance aroundall of the rolls.

In order to prevent loose folds of strip contained in the hopper frombeing enmeshed or entangled by the moving rolls 52 and M and the movingstrip which is passing under these rolls, I form these rolls and theroll 5| with cutout portions 60 which, if desired, may be formed byinterruptions in the rubber facings of the rolls, these interruptions orannular recesses being arranged along the length of the rolls and inline with the recesses 32 in roll 30. I secure to the rolls 5! and 30pieces of tape, wire or similar strips 63 which at their ends are loopedaround these rolls 5 5 and 30 in the recesses and sewed or otherwisesecured such as at 55. These pieces of tape extend beneath the rolls 52and 4| in their respective recesses. I have shown in Figure 1, threepieces of tape. Also at the rolls 52 and 44, I provide additional pieces66 which pass over the rolls and are sewed above and below to the mainsection of tape. these tapes in eifect form a hopper for loose or excessstrip and also prevents the loose portions of strip being drawn in bythe rolls or by the guided portion of the moving strip.

When the length of the strip is but slightly in excess of the distancearound the rolls, the strip will form a single fold or bend in thehopper It will be thus seen that and if desired, under these conditions,I may sup port a floating roll 10 by, and in, the fold as shown forexample in Figure 9.

In the modification shown in Figure 8, instead of passing the tapesunder the lower rolls, I provide two rods 68 mounted respectively in themembers l5 and I! under which rods the tape passes.

It will be noted that the hopper extends substantially the full lengthand Width of the cabinet and therefore has a relatively large capacity.

Suitable means not shown may be provided for controlling the motoreither to cause it to operate continuously or intermittently. It will beseen that by causing the strip to move behind the window vertically itis possible to use a relatively wide strip with a large amount ofprinted matter thereon, the movement of the strip presenting this matterto View in the order in which it is read. Bearings 26 and 26 at oppositeends of roll 30 as well as the bearings at opposite ends of each of theother rolls are preferably of the self-aligning and self-lubricatingtype.

If desired, suitable means may be provided for illuminating the strip.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means for movingthe strip, a hopper for containing excess portions of the strip, meansfor feeding the strip into the hopper, and withdrawing it therefrom atpoints adjacent the upper end of the hopper, the length of the stripemployed with respect to the capacity of the hopper being such thatfolds of the strip in the hopper are maintained, by gravity, remote fromthe point of delivery, guides for directing the strip around the hopperand guides for positioning said strip accurately along said first namedguides.

2. In an exhibiting device, a cabinet having a display window in front,an endless display strip, guides for the strip at substantially the topof the cabinet at the front and back and guides for the strip atsubstantially the bottom. of the cabinet at the front and back, saidguides" forming between them a hopper for containing loose portions ofthe moving strip, means for feeding said strip into said hopper from thetop and withdrawing it from the top of the hopper and for guiding saidstrip around three sides of said hopper.

3. In an exhibiting device, a cabinet having a display window in front,an endless display strip, guiding rolls for the strip at substantiallythe top of the cabinet at the front and back and guide rolls for thestrip at substantially the bottom of the cabinet at the front and back,said rolls forming between them a hopper for containing loose portionsof the moving strip, means for feeding said strip into the hopper fromthe top front guide roll and withdrawing it from the top rear guide rolland moving the guided strip around three sides of the hopper and meansfor lower spaced guides'forming between them a 5. an -'exhibiting devicega'n endless display strip; "spaced upper and spaced lowerrolls, said'rolls forming between thema space 'for containing loose portions ofsaid strip, means for feedingsaid strip into s'aid space over one of thetop rolls and withdrawing the strip over the other top roll, and meansfor preventing engagement of loose portions of the strip by the lowerrolls, said means consisting of pieces of tape secured around the toprolls and passing under the bottom rolls and shorter pieces of tapeextending over the bottom rolls and secured at opposite ends to saidfirst named pieces.

6. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, spaced upper andspaced lower guide rolls formed along their length with annularrecesses, said rolls forming between them a space for containing looseportions of said strip, means for feeding said strip by gravity intosaid space over one of the top rolls and withdrawing the strip from saidspace over the other top roll and means for preventing engagement of theloose portions of the strip by the lower rolls and by the guidedportions of the strip, said means consisting of pieces of tape securedaround the top rolls and passing under the bottom rolls and lying insaid recesses and shorter pieces of tape extending over the bottom rollsand secured at opposite ends to first named pieces.

'7, In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means for movingthe strip, a casing having a window, means for guiding the strip pastthe window, a hopper for containing excess portions of said strip, meansfor feeding the strip into the hopper at one point and withdrawing it atanother point, said hopper at said one point having a widthsubstantially greater than the width of the strip and graduallynarrowing toward the other point to a width substantially that of thestrip.

8. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means for movingthe strip, a casing having a window, means for guiding the strip pastthe window, a hopper for containing excess portions of said strip, meansfor feeding the strip into the hopper at the front and top of the hopperand withdrawing the strip at the back and top of the hopper, means formaintaining folds of the strip in the hopper remote from the point ofwithdrawal, said hopper tapering rearwardly from a width substantiallygreater than that of the strip to a width substantially that of thestrip.

9. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means for movingsaid strip, upper and lower spaced guide rolls forming between them aspace for containing loose portions of the moving strip and means forpreventing engagement, of loose portions of the strip by the rolls, saidmeans consisting of spaced strips supported along the sides of saidspace.

10. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, a hopper, meansfor moving the strip into the hopper and withdrawing it therefrom at oneside thereof and means for guiding the strip around three sides of thehopper and exhibiting the same while so guided.

11. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, a hopper, meansfor moving the strip into the hopper and withdrawing it therefrom at thetop of the hopper, means for guiding the strip around two sides and thebottom of the hopper and exhibiting it while so guided.

12'. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means for movingsaid strip, upper and space for containing loose portions of the strip"and means for preventing engagement of loose portions of the strip bythe guides, said means consisting of tape supported inside the guides.

- '13. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means formoving said strip, upper and lower spaced guide rolls forming betweenthem a space for containing loose portions of the moving strip and meansfor preventing engagement of loose portions of the strip by the rolls,said means consisting of tape supported along the sides of said space.

14. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means for movingthe strip, a casing having a window, means for guiding the strip pastthe window, a container for excess portions of the strip, means forfeeding the strip into the container and withdrawing it fromthe top ofthe container, said strip extending as a bend down into the containerand a floating roll in the container supported by and riding upon thebend.

15. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means for movingthe strip, a casing having a window, means for guiding the strip'pastthe window, a container for portions of the strip, means for feeding thestrip into the container and withdrawing it from the top of thecontainer, said strip extending as a bend down into the container and afloating weight in the container supported by and riding upon the bend.

16. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, a hopper, meansfor moving the strip into the hopper at one side thereof and withdrawingit therefrom at the same side and means for guiding the strip around thesides of the hopper and exhibiting the same while so guided.

1'7. In an exhibiting device, a casing, a continuous strip, means forguiding said strip along a plurality of sides of said casing and saidstrip 18, In an exhibiting device, a casing, a c0n tinuous strip, meansfor guiding said strip along a plurality of sides of said casing andsaid strip while so guided forming a container for receiving looseportions of said strip, and a roll in said container for insuring thepositioning of said loose portions over substantially one dimension ofsaid container.

19. In an exhibiting device, an endless display strip, means for movingthe strip, a casing having a window, means for guiding the strip pastthe window, a container for loose folded portions of the strip, meansfor feeding the strip into the container substantially at the top or ata point above said loose folded portions and withdrawing the strip fromthe container substantially at the top, or at a point above, said loosefolded portions.

20. In an exhibiting device, an endless display sheet, means for movingthe sheet, a hopper for containing loose ends of the sheet, means forfeeding the sheet into the hopper and withdrawing it therefrom, rollersfor guiding said sheet around sides of the hopper, said rollers havingspaced peripheral channels and said hop-' per comprising stationarystrips extending along the sides thereof and projecting into saidchannels whereby dragging of the sheet between the strips and rollers isavoided.

top or at a point above said' excess portions, and withdrawing the stripfrom the container substantially at the top or at a point above saidexcess portions.

WILLIAM A. McCOMIBS.

